


Not With Haste

by aliceecrivain



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Oral Sex, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Reunion Sex, Rimming, Twenty pages of cheesy vanilla fluff, not much else to say
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-06 08:05:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12207186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliceecrivain/pseuds/aliceecrivain
Summary: Erik comes home to Charles again after some weeks apart and both of them thoroughly enjoy their reunion.





	Not With Haste

**Author's Note:**

> (realistic reenactment of me, trying to title my fic: "so which mumford & sons song should I steal the title from this time")
> 
> This is completely unoriginal, and really is what it says on the tin: a 20-page, really vanilla, overly-cheesy fluffy plotless nothing of a fic. I just am sort of addicted to writing really undramatic reunion scenes where it's just sweet and happy and angst isn't a thing, and everyone's safe and warm with no strings attached. So here's that. Please enjoy the complete lack of substance and happily married mutant husbands.

It was dark when Erik finally stepped into the room. He sighed to himself, having been expecting as much. It was pretty late and Charles tended to doze off. He didn’t blame him. He wanted nothing more than to finally crawl into bed and sleep for a good 48 hours or so.

“What a waste that would be,” a muffled voice pointed out, drifting over from under the mountain of blankets on the bed. “You haven’t seen me for over half a month and the first thing you want to do is be unconscious for two more whole days. Is this the kind of thank you I get after waiting up for you for hours like some quivering waif waiting anxiously for his husband to return from war?”

In spite of his mock-reprimanding tone, Charles’s voice was warm, affectionate. It chased some of the exhaustion out of Erik’s limbs, propelled him back into motion, away from the doorway and into the room proper. He dropped his suitcase on the way, having already gotten rid of his shoes and coat, and approached the bed as if pulled in by a fishing line, unable to help himself. He’d thought maybe it would get better with time, but the small ache inside of him that always appeared as soon as he parted from the other man seemed to have little intention of easing up ever. He’d been yearning to take Charles back in his arms the moment he’d left. Video chats were better than nothing, but provided little permanent aid. Erik wanted to feel Charles, real and solid and warm, to touch him, know he was there.

“Get over here then,” Charles grumbled, still making no move himself toward Erik. Instead he remained stubbornly where he’d mummified himself in blankets.

Erik reached the bed and climbed on top of the vague lump that was Charles unceremoniously, squishing him down into the mattress under his bodyweight and wrapping his arms around his shape to make sure he was completely trapped. Charles immediately began to squirm underneath him bombarding him with a mental stream of irritated protests and mild insults about him having eaten a bit too well on the company’s dime this past trip, but Erik didn’t let up, instead pressing his face down into the blankets and holding on tight. Charles settled after a few moments, apparently accepting his fate. He seeped more completely into Erik’s mind, a bright, familiar presence and Erik couldn’t help but relax further at the feeling, the tension of distance and the stress of travel slowly leaving his body. He clutched closer to Charles, squeezing him in an awkward sort of embrace that he had no real way of returning. Erik would feel bad but Charles had his chance to avoid this.

“Why is it every time I leave you somehow manage to dig up every blanket in this house and pile them on top of the bed regardless of the season?” Erik demanded, turning his head to the side so he could speak more clearly. “The heater works fine.” He always returned home to find their bed looking like some child had broken in and built a fort on top of it. Moreover, he was always the one having to disassemble it the next day, stripping it down so they didn’t drown in their own sweat trying to sleep, and there always seemed to be at least one he hadn’t seen before amongst the others.

 _Because you won’t let me do it while you’re here_ , Charles replied petulantly. Erik was glad as always to hear his mental voice. The distance helped to show how quiet and lonely it could be in his own mind without Charles around. That wasn’t to say he didn’t like his privacy on occasion, but the extended stretches of time got to him. _Besides I have to rebel somehow in an attempt to keep you from leaving again. It’s like when I come home to find you’ve cleaned out all the closets and gotten rid of half our things without telling me again_.

Erik jabbed at the approximate location where he thought Charles’s side might be and generally succeeded. Charles squeaked underneath him and started struggling again. Charles had a point, but Erik didn’t feel like giving it to him.

 _Is it not working_? he asked after another weak attempt to escape from under Erik who was still soaking in Charles’s warmth.

Erik squeezed at Charles’s sides teasingly. “You’d put your blanket hoarding ways to better use by just using them to tie me up instead.”

 _That’s what it takes, is it? Seduction by blanket_?

Erik snorted and finally relented some, pushing up on his arms so as not to crush his husband so completely. “I don’t know. Right now I’m not the biggest fan.”

_You’re the one who decided to sit on me and suffocate me half to death right off the bat._

Erik sat up more fully then and yanked back the covers himself. “No one told you to wait under there. Besides you were hardly leaping out of bed to come and greet me.”

Charles didn’t reply right away, too busy pretending to gasp for breath, so Erik set the banter aside to get a good look at him. His face was flushed from having been under the blankets, his hair mussed, sticking up all over. He’d been curled up into a ball underneath the covers, but shifted to lay on his back when Erik gave him the space. He offered Erik an easy smile, catching his eyes finally. Erik had missed those eyes. They were dulled a bit, a deeper, sleepy sort of color. Erik flicked on one of the lamps across the room to get a better look only to change his mind and press his face into the soft curve of Charles’s neck, curling back into him and just breathing in the smell of his skin. _Finally_.

Charles laughed quietly and extricated his arms from the blankets to curve up around Erik’s back, the warm pads of his fingers digging into his skin. Charles pressed his cheek into Erik’s hair and let out a small breath. “You’re late,” he murmured, adopting a more serious tone than before. There was worry there, concern.

Erik sighed. “Trouble with the flights.”

Charles’s hands ran slowly down along his back in easy, firm strokes and he hummed. “You should have texted me.”

“It was the middle of the night in your time zone. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“I don’t care,” Charles declared, pushing Erik back off of him some to meet his eyes again. “Tell me anyway if it happens again.”

Erik leaned forward to gently capture Charles’s mouth, kissing him far more chastely than he really wanted to. Charles tilted his chin up into the kiss, pulling his hands back to cup up along Erik’s jaw. He really hadn’t meant to make Charles worry and guilt swirled some in his stomach. He’d just been so frustrated and occupied with the situation in the first place it hadn’t occurred to him. “Alright.”

Erik didn’t get away for long. Charles was leaning forward, craning his neck up until Erik could feel his breath on his lips again. “Good,” he said before pulling him back down.

The dam that had been holding back his desperation in the first kiss broke down entirely and Erik kissed Charles mercilessly, pressing down hard and doing his best to devour him. Charles made a soft, needy noise and reciprocated, yanking him down bodily up against him. They kissed long and deep, breathless and frantic, pausing only when Charles decided he wanted to kick the rest of the blankets off down the bed, out of the way, so he could wrap himself more completely around Erik.

Erik carded his fingers through Charles’s hair before running them down along the curve of his face, down over the edge of his jaw, down to his neck. It terrified him sometimes, how much he missed Charles, how apparent his need for the other man became when they were apart for more than a few days. It was like a physical weight on him, the same way being in a room completely devoid of metal was. It was draining, left him feeling empty and restless, unsteady. The only thing that made him feel better was knowing Charles was the same. The link between them was real and it was powerful, and Erik had learned through the years that it was much better to feel empowered by it rather than try to buck it constantly.

Erik took hold of Charles’s hair again and pulled his head back, detaching his mouth so he could get at the tempting line of his neck, kissing open-mouthed down along the skin and biting right along his collarbone. Charles whined, but Erik didn’t miss the spike of pleasure that came from the slightly rough treatment.

“God, I missed you,” Charles said, already breathless and as disarmingly honest as ever. “I missed you so much, Erik.”

“Missed you too,” Erik muttered into his neck for the sake of replying, though it wasn’t like his mind wasn’t yielded completely to Charles at the moment for him to feel the extent of that truth. The knowing smile he caught on Charles’s face when he moved back up, loosening his grip on the other man’s hair, spoke to that being the case.

Erik distracted himself by pressing kisses to the soft apple of Charles’s cheek, the space between his eyebrows, right underneath his eyes where the shadows were a bit darker than he remembered them, along the laugh lines that were constantly growing more defined, right underneath his ear where he was a little ticklish. Charles laughed and finally swatted him away, so Erik went back to his mouth, pressing until he relented and opened up so Erik could slip his tongue in. Realistically Erik suspected it was mostly in his head, but he loved the way Charles tasted.

He indulged himself for a while longer, reveling in how willing and responsive the other man was, arching up into Erik, pulling at his lips with his teeth occasionally, bringing up a hand to tug on Erik’s hair. After a good long stretch of time, Erik decided to let them catch their breath and returned to his earlier position with his face tucked into Charles’s jaw.

He could feel his pulse there, the steady beat of his heart, the rush of his blood and the tiniest particles of metal that made it up. He could feel the life in his husband’s veins, knew that he was safe, and _there_ , and unlikely to leave anytime soon. At last he felt as though he could relax, let his walls down and appreciate the moment as much as possible. His life had gotten much better once Charles had come into it, to the point where such desperate displays weren’t so necessary as it was likely he _would_ live to experience this same feeling again, but Erik had never been able to fully shake the habit of taking what he could while he had it.

Charles seemed to understand, and after initially going to protest, he simply wrapped his arms back around Erik, keeping the two of them pressed as close as possible. “Finished already?” he asked, teasing lightly.

Erik took another slow breath, grateful as ever for how careful Charles was to not needlessly comment on the times Erik let himself be this vulnerable. It was still a difficult thing for him to do, but knowing Charles would be respectful of it helped. Charles was aware of it, certainly, but he allowed Erik the illusion of privacy nonetheless. Erik took advantage for a few moments longer before he bit at Charles’s neck again, more purposefully, feeling the give of the soft skin under his teeth. “Not at all.”

Erik always felt torn when they reunited like this. Part of him was desperate to have Charles quick and rough, and sometimes it went that way. Sometimes it was all frantic hands, grabbing and pulling and squeezing, all gasps and moans and Charles arching up into him, crying out for more and getting it, scratches down his back and messy rows of marks down the length of Charles’s body, bedsprings squeaking and the anticipation of watching Charles get up the next morning and have to walk in a way that so blatantly showed what they’d done it was almost obscene.

The rest, however, wanted to take it slow, to keep it gentle, exploratory after so long apart. In that case it’d be careful caresses, lazy kisses, stretching it out into the wee hours of the morning. It’d be keeping Charles under him, touching and kissing him everywhere until he was shaking and demanding that Erik get on with it already. It’d be working him open with his fingers and tongue until the only thing he could do would be to lay back, legs spread wide open and pliant and take it, then slow, deep thrusts, and taking Charles apart, watching him fall to pieces and shattering apart with him.

That night Erik thought he was more interested in the latter, or something along those lines anyway. He slid his hands down, running them over Charles’s sides, down to his thighs, squeezing gently at the soft, warm skin there. He let his thumbs dip down into the space between them, pushing lightly. Charles seemed to take the hint, letting his legs fall open further. There was an amused brush of his mind against Erik’s, probably in reference to how intently Erik was staring at his groin, the way his cock was already half-hard and beginning to tent his underwear. He suspected if he looked up he’d see Charles’s mouth curved up into that familiar smirk. Erik didn’t see how he could help it, especially when the telepath was in only a soft t-shirt and briefs—really quite thoughtful of him; it would make Erik’s job that much easier—and he was suddenly struck with the overwhelming urge to bend down and lick Charles through the fabric.

Having had enough of holding back for a while, Erik gave in to the temptation, bending so he could press an open-mouthed kiss against Charles. The other man caught onto his intention only a second before he moved and his light gasp turned into a quiet groan of “Oh, _Erik_ ,” his fingers flying up to dig back into Erik’s hair, scrabbling against his scalp indecisively as if torn between pulling or pushing him down further. His body curved up automatically under Erik in contrast, encouraging. Still, Erik kept his movements teasing more than anything else, licking lightly and dampening the fabric down along where the length of Charles’s cock was visible through it. Heat sizzled through him at the smallest taste he could get already, and his own arousal was making itself known, still trapped frustratingly within the confines of his trousers. He thought he’d have to be careful or he’d end up taking Charles down his throat, resulting in an early night for both of them.

The longer he spent on his ministrations the less ambivalent Charles’s fingers were in their motions. Now they were attempting to guide him with purpose, working with Charles’s hips to get him to do anything beyond hint at what he could have if Erik would _get on with it already_. Erik grinned, dipping down further to mouth at his balls. Charles’s thoughts were already beginning to bleed out, seeping into his mind accidentally. It was a good sign and a hint that Erik would probably have to move on soon enough. Charles’s arousal mixed with his own was a heady drug and he’d come early more than once because he’d underestimated it.

He wasn’t finished yet though, so he forced himself to not get too punch-drunk on it early, shielding just a bit to keep his head on straight and pressing his nose into the crease of Charles’s thigh, dragging his teeth along the skin there. Charles groaned low in his throat, and it was a frustrated kind of noise. Apparently Charles had been more interested in the former option of how the night could go.

“Impatient?” Erik asked, moving his hands from where he’d been kneading Charles’s thighs down to press the length of his palm between the other man’s legs, grinding hard enough to offer at least a little relief in the form of friction and pressing in with his fingertips suggestively further down against his ass.

Charles huffed at him and yanked on his hair so he had to look up at him, meet his eyes. That was answer enough. Charles was flushed prettily, his pupils wide. What blue was left to his eyes was electric with want. Erik thought he must have been biting his lips to keep quiet some which, while he didn’t appreciate that on principle, did make for a lovely picture. Charles shifted beneath him, pushing his hips up, back toward his mouth. When he saw Erik was looking he let his mouth fall open and ran the pink tip of his tongue over the swollen red of his bottom lip.

“Fuck Charles,” Erik growled out in place of the groan that surely would have slipped out otherwise. They’d hardly done anything so it was completely unfair that Charles could already look so fucked-out. Erik couldn’t find it in himself to do much more than sit and stare for several long moments. There was very little he didn’t want to do to the man before him, and he made sure his mind was open and his thoughts direct enough for Charles to know it.

Charles keened and squirmed underneath him, and Erik broke, throwing patience and thoughts of savoring this to the wind for the time being. He lunged back up and set in on devouring Charles, kissing him breathless. He touched Charles wherever he could reach, running up along the length of his body, aimlessly urgent. Charles responded in kind and Erik pushed up into his touch to urge him on. When he pulled back it was only to strip off his shirt and toss it aside, revealing plane after plane of pale skin which Erik couldn’t wait to mark up. He moved to do just that but Charles pushed him back, going for the buttons on his own shirt instead.

“Oh no you don’t,” Charles retorted. “None of this fully-clothed nonsense. You’re not the only one who wants to see.”

After a quick, instinctive spike of irritability and urge to protest, Erik forced himself to hold still and help Charles along. He wasn’t sure how much good it did, both of them trying to unbutton his shirt at once, but sitting still was not an option at the moment. Ultimately the task was a good thing, helped him focus some. Eventually they succeeded in getting it off and Erik threw it somewhere off near Charles’s. He shucked his undershirt off himself afterward, making it so they were both bare-chested.

“Finally,” Charles sighed, dragging his hands down Erik’s chest, running purposefully over his nipples. “No more button-downs for you. I’m banning them officially for at least two weeks. They’re far too much work.”

Erik laughed at him, working on swallowing down the wave of lust that had been suffocating him which he was doing mostly by sitting back and letting Charles touch him. Broad, familiar hands ran down over his arms and up his sides greedily and Erik was happy to let him take. “What do you suggest I wear then?”

“Nothing,” Charles replied immediately, curving around his waist down further to squeeze at his ass. He gave Erik a wicked little smile as well. “Or something I can get off of you in ten seconds at the most.”

Erik leaned back over him, putting his hands on either side of Charles’s head to support his weight, covering him completely with his body as he leaned back down, pressing his forehead against Charles’s. He nipped at the tip of his nose before moving again, rubbing his cheek up against his partner’s, scratching him with his stubble. It was more of a nuzzle than he’d meant it to be, but Charles didn’t seem to care, just laughing and shoving him off, grumbling about beard-burn.

“You’re incorrigible,” Erik accused, though it came out more like a compliment than he’d meant it to. It was difficult to sound upset when he’d wanted nothing more than to hear Charles tease him like this, smile that naughty little smile that Erik couldn’t help but bite off his lips, rub up against him like he was even now for weeks and now he finally had it again, finally had Charles in his arms laughing and projecting his contentment and desire into his mind like a sweet, tempting melody.

Charles lurched up, nipping at Erik’s bottom lip. It wasn’t quite hard enough to break the skin but it was riding the line. Erik fought his instinct to jerk back and instead leaned down into Charles, pulled along, let him release his lip at his own pace. Charles’s proceeding grin was mischievous. “I think you ought to do something about it,” he teased. “Since it bothers you so much.”

Erik raised an eyebrow at him, schooling his expression into neutrality. Sometimes he thought it was dangerous how firmly Charles had him wrapped around his finger, how easy it was for the other man to rile him up, draw him in, talk him into doing exactly what he wanted without saying a damn thing. Because there was a part of him that yearned to just flip Charles over onto his stomach, hold him down, and fuck him into the mattress. His cock ached at the prospect. He thought he was probably just high enough on arousal and desperation to do it. And Charles would let him. He knew he would, and the fact was only reinforced when Charles caught wind of the idea and moaned long and high for him, spreading his thighs wider, presenting himself so easily.

Erik gritted his teeth though and pushed the idea aside, dipping down to mouth his way along Charles’s neck, down the center of his chest, kissing at the space between his nipples. A jab of frustration at having been denied was sent his way, but he ignored it as well. Sitting back so he wouldn’t have to put all his weight on Charles, he did pinch at one of the other man’s nipples in a small reprimand. Charles huffed and dropped his head back onto the pillow, his mouth twisting rye. The irritation from before dissipated as Charles came back to himself, and then his presence in Erik’s mind was something like apologetic.

Erik bent to kiss the pink nub he’d been keeping pressed between his fingers, releasing it so he could lave at it with his tongue. He pushed back against Charles’s quiet apologies and true to form, they got louder. Erik sighed, pressing his forehead right where he could feel Charles’s heartbeat, quick and sharp.

 _What have told you about apologizing like that when we’re in bed_ , Erik demanded, feeling careful hands skirt back along his shoulders, rubbing and dipping down further over his spine.

 _Probably the same thing I had to tell you about a hundred times first_.

Erik bit lightly at Charles’s nipple at that and felt blunt nails dig into the skin of his back, so he released it soon after. They were waging a silent argument, one that hardly needed to be voiced considering the number of times it’d been had.

They had an ongoing disagreement—one of many, but most of the others were academic—over bedroom behavior that Erik doubted they’d ever be able to solve beyond a compromise. More than anything, Erik was afraid of hurting Charles on accident, letting that more violent side of himself take over. It was a cold  sort of fear that stuck with him for days, one not even Charles could soothe away. The issue came more from Charles’s insistence that he “wouldn’t mind” and continuous protests that he _liked_ when Erik was rough with him from time to time than anything else. Erik couldn’t understand that.

It was give and take as it always was between them because of it. Charles listened to Erik explain—again and again—his own hesitation and did his best not to push. And, every once in a while, under highly controlled conditions, Erik would let Charles have his way. It still bothered him, but his protests tended to get lost when he was drowning in Charles’s purposefully projected pleasure.

“It’s not wrong to want things, Erik,” Charles insisted, hands back in his hair.

Erik had to bite back his usual response— _no, but it must mean something about a person when they want those sorts of things_ —because he really didn’t want to waste the rest of the night on this. They were finally together again, and he didn’t want to take that for granted. He pushed that feeling toward Charles who backed down almost immediately before responding. “Not tonight, Charles. Please.”

Charles sighed, curling his fingers gently through where his hair was getting a bit long. “You’re right.”

Erik let the silence stretch between them for a few breaths, just enough to gather themselves. Charles allowed that, but soon enough he was moving again, twisting skillfully until Erik found himself falling sideways down onto the mattress next to Charles who climbed on top of him, sitting on his waist matter-of-factly. He leaned down to press what turned out to be a filthy sort of kiss against Erik’s mouth. Erik regained his bearings and hurried to kiss back, letting Charles expertly stoke that flame that had given out some between them in midst of their spat.

When Charles pulled back he was breathless and Erik wasn’t better off. Charles took Erik’s face between his hands, rubbing at his cheeks with the pads of his thumbs and looking him right in the eyes. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this so easily. I’ve waited three weeks for this and I’m not going to let some stupid old argument keep me from getting your cock up my arse by the time the night is out.”

Erik laughed at the determined certainty in Charles’s voice and the mood softened back to something comfortable. He brought one of his own hands up to cup over Charles’s, curling their fingers together and guiding Charles’s closer to his mouth. Once he was close enough, Erik took a couple of them into his mouth properly, sucking and running his tongue up along them. Charles let out a shaky breath, his eyebrows pulling together, and pushed his ass down against Erik’s cock which was in the process of jerking back to attention. After a few seconds of just rubbing the tip of his tongue against the pads of Charles’s fingers Erik pulled their hands back. “What if I wanted you to fuck me?” he asked, pushing up against Charles anyway, desperate for the friction even if he was contradicting himself.

Charles blinked owlishly at him, dropping his hands down to set them on top of Erik’s chest for a moment before he found his smile once more. “Then we’re at an impasse, I suppose.”

Erik couldn’t help but return it, letting his teeth show. “I suppose.”

It would be easy to just give in to Charles, let him have what he wanted. It’d be pleasurable for them both either way, so there wasn’t really any point in making a big deal out of it, but Erik thought it might be fun to play along anyway, at least for a little while. There was a glimmer in Charles’s eyes that suggested he felt the same and he began bouncing on Erik’s lap, working to lift himself up with his thighs. Erik moved his hands to feel the muscles work under the skin, to watch them flex. He was tempted to flip Charles over and move back down so he could bite at the tendons he could see jumping there, always enticed by this kind of hidden strength Charles seemed to possess in every facet of himself, but he stayed still, knowing the game would be up if he moved.

“Finally an argument worth having,” Charles commented, leaning back and continuing to mime riding Erik. Erik bit at the inside of his cheek, feeling as though he was at a severe disadvantage, trying to keep his hips from pushing up against Charles. “Though I don’t think you’re doing a very good job of convincing me at the moment.”

Erik didn’t think there was anything to do but something drastic as he didn’t trust either of them to hold out for much longer, so he endeavored to somehow flip their positions. He thought if he sat up he might be able to just slide Charles off back onto the bed so he forced himself upright, scooting back meanwhile so Charles was deposited between his legs. With Charles off of him he was free to hook his legs up over Charles’s thighs, wrapped around his waist to hold him in place.

He smirked at the disgruntled expression on Charles’s face. It lasted for all of two seconds before it morphed into a disapproving sort of look. Erik laid back again, preening, tucking his hands behind his head and letting his legs splay open. “ _I_ think you should reconsider. It’s not like I ask that often.” Charles resituated himself but didn’t try to escape Erik’s grip, digging his fingers into his thighs and pursing his lips to the side. Erik had a point and he knew it. “Besides, I’ve been travelling all day. It wouldn’t kill you to cut me a break.” He punctuated his words with a slow roll of his hips up against where he could feel Charles straining against the fabric of his briefs, still slightly wet from where he’d been licking at them earlier.

He was gratified when Charles pushed back into the gesture. He groaned at the friction as it sliced through their teasing and revealed the reality of the situation clearly to him again for a few brief seconds. His legs twitched where they were spread around Charles’s waist and he thought he really would like to get Charles’s fingers in him, opening him up, curling right up against his prostate, rubbing, driving him crazy. He’d like the ache of Charles’s cock spreading him, the feel of his balls pressed tight against his ass, that slick, tight sort of friction that he only really craved every once in a while.

Charles squeezed his eyes shut and pushed up against his ass, groaning. Heat sparked up Erik’s spine at the movement and he pushed back, starting up a true back and forth motion, fucking _finally_. “That’s not fair,” Charles growled. “Your _mind_ ….” He was going along with the movement in spite of his words, thrusting up against Erik.

“Block me out,” Erik suggested, reaching to take hold of Charles’s hands again, urging them toward the latchings of his pants, “if it’s so unbearable.”

“As if I could,” Charles whined, fumbling with the button of his pants immediately only to pause a few seconds later. “Shouldn’t you be doing this?”

Erik supposed he had a point. He had to take a moment to focus so as to use his powers, trying to work around the heat in his mind. The prospect of finally freeing himself from the prison of his trousers helped to motivate him. He made quick work of his button and zipper and then Charles was yanking his pants down. Erik let his legs go lax to help and soon the offending fabric was being tossed off across the room. Charles had apparently taken his underwear with them as he found himself suddenly bare, the cooler air of the room hitting the heat of his cock and making him hiss.

Charles got a hand around him immediately, squeezing at the base and giving him a long firm stroke. Erik groaned and bucked up into his hand instinctively. It’d been too long for even that simple touch. It didn’t help that Charles was staring down at him, lips parted, practically salivating, looking ready to bend down and take him down his throat at any second, still stroking him roughly, running his thumb over the tip occasionally, eyes wide and dark. Erik tossed his head back, pressing it down into the mattress so he would stop looking, grasping at the sheets. “ _Charles_.” He was surprised at how already he felt desperate for release, as if only a few good strokes of Charles’s hand would be enough for him. He pushed that sense of urgency toward Charles.

That seemed to snap the other man out of his trance and he laughed. “How’ve you been back for over half an hour now and I’ve just now got you naked?” He kept up the lazy pulls on Erik’s cock but his grip was too loose to do too much more than tease, leaning forward to brush their lips together again.

Erik smiled against Charles’s mouth. “There’s nothing wrong with taking our time.”

Charles hummed. “True, but there is such a thing as taking it too far. Let’s get off at least once and then you can take all the time you want, love.”

Erik brought a hand up to cup Charles’s cheek, kissing him sweetly. “I wasn’t the one making it difficult.”

Charles scoffed at him, pulling back to nip at his neck. Erik laid it bare for him. Charles was a little less liberal with his marking, but Erik always liked it nonetheless. “You’re ridiculous. Sometimes I think you live to be difficult.”

“I think you ought to do something about it,” Erik repeated his earlier statement back to him, tugging Charles down on top of him so their bodies were flush. There was something satisfying about feeling his weight like that, being able to wrap his arms around his back and keep him there, “if it bothers you so much.” Erik pressed his mouth underneath Charles’s ear, nipping at the skin there, making him squawk  and start to squirm, attempting half-heartedly to get out of Erik’s hold. It only encouraged Erik to continue his assault, tickling at Charles’s sides.

“Stop it, you silly oaf,” Charles demanded, cackling and finally succeeding at getting away. He yanked his arms free to grab at Erik’s wrists, planting them firmly on either side of his head, down against the mattress. He climbed back on top of Erik and kept him pinned, seemingly trying to frown at him and failing miserably. “Enjoying yourself doesn’t have to come at my expense, you know. You’re supposed to _stop_ getting distracted.”

Erik didn’t see how he was supposed to do that when Charles was so inherently distracting. Besides, this was one of his favorite things. He loved being able to laugh and smile in bed with Charles. He loved it when they teased each other and fooled around rather than cutting right to the quick all the time. He liked touching Charles however he could, drawing out those cute little noises, watching his face scrunch up and then smooth back out again. It was something he’d never had before, something he probably would have never allowed himself in the first place, to be playful, to have fun like this. But Charles gave it so easily, encouraged it. Even if he was putting up an irritated front, Erik was being reassured constantly through their mental link that Charles was having a good time as well. There probably was some truth to his demanding they hurry it up, but even he was beginning to feel that way.

There was something he liked about prolonging their wait as well, even when it’d already been so long. There was something in the denial, the stretching it out when they didn’t have to that made it better when they finally got around to doing anything productive. “I’ll stop when you stop being such a distraction,” he said aloud, to reinforce it, even if Charles had most likely already heard it amongst his thoughts.

Charles flushed at that, just a little and gave Erik a smaller, sweeter smile, leaning back down to kiss him long and slow. Erik felt his cock twitch when Charles did, having been abandoned when Charles went to hold him down, and he thought, as much fun as this had been, maybe Charles had a point about getting on with it. “I always have a point, darling,” Charles insisted, right up against his lips. “Because as lovely as all this is, I think it’s about time we settle our debate and get on with the show.”

Oh, that. Erik had almost forgotten, probably sometime around when Charles had finally gotten a hand around his cock.

Charles huffed at him. “You must not have been too invested in it if you forgot that easily. But how about I make you a deal?” He nosed back down under Erik’s jaw, mouthing along the curve of his neck down to his shoulder where he placed another small bite.

“I’m listening,” Erik breathed, moving his hands up to thread through Charles’s hair.

“How about you fuck me tonight—” he went to protest on principle but was cut off by Charles thumbing one of his nipples. “—since I’m all ready and you’d have to make me wait whilst you go take a shower and all that, and then tomorrow morning I’ll give you a raincheck if you’re still interested?”

Charles made a very good point, not that that necessarily meant Erik would be willing to back down, but at the moment he was in a good mood. (And not particularly interested in spending the next half hour in the bathroom rather than with Charles.) So after a moment’s consideration, he nodded. “You have yourself a deal.” He could feel Charles’s smile spread against the skin of his shoulder and took the moment to flip Charles over in one easy movement so his back was on the mattress again with Erik hovering over him.

Charles took the shift better the second time and merely splayed his legs open again, the muscles of his thighs straining. He pushed his hips up at Erik. _Please_.

Erik took the hint and stripped off Charles’s briefs at last, tossing them away and finally taking a moment to really look at Charles who, ever the exhibitionist, laid back and let him. Seeing Charles like this was always so familiar and yet so new at the same time. He knew the light spattering of freckles that dusted Charles’s shoulders, the dips and curves of his chest, the dusky pink of his nipples. He knew the soft curve of his waist, the sturdy set of his thighs, transitioning easily down into the lines of his calves. He knew Charles liked it when he pressed his thumbs into the small divots right above his ass on either side of his spine and rubbed, knew just how close he could get to Charles’s cock if he wanted to kiss his legs without him protesting, knew the way the flush on his face would spread down to his chest when he was really aroused, knew the frustrated little thrusts of his hips he’d start up if Erik was taking too long.

He’d mapped out Charles’s body a hundred times and he was fully anticipating doing it a hundred times more. Still, the sense of discovery was always there, the thrill of getting to touch and taste and learn. Charles was so open, so responsive. If he liked something, Erik was sure to know. Nothing turned Erik on like getting Charles worked up, and that was exactly what he planned to do.

Starting at the dip in Charles’s clavicle, Erik mouthed his way down the center of his chest, taking a short detour only for the sake of pressing kisses to either of his nipples, down over his stomach, all the way down, nice and slow, slow enough that Charles was pulling on his hair again by the time he got where he was trying to go. He nestled down, settling between Charles’s legs and hefting his thighs up over his shoulders. He couldn’t help but rub against the mattress below him in the midst of his situating, but denied himself relief otherwise, focusing instead on wrapping his fingers gently around the other man’s cock, lifting it from where it had been straining up against his stomach. He gave it a couple of light considering strokes, watching the push and pull of the foreskin, before he moved to run his tongue up along the length.

Charles whined, obviously irritated at Erik’s complete lack of force or pressure. His strokes were brushes more than anything else; he kept his grip lax. It wasn’t enough, wasn’t hardly enough and Charles was letting him know about it through a jumbled stream of mental admonitions that were easy enough to brush aside. Erik continued running his tongue up along Charles’s length, sampling. He was soon drawn to the bright red of the head, moving up so he could lick it, rubbing with his thumb right underneath.

“ _Erik_ ,” Charles growled, squeezing his legs around his neck in a weak protest considering how Erik could feel them shaking. “For god’s sake, if you’re going to suck me off, at least do it properly—”

 _Taste so good_ , Erik sent back, effectively shutting the other man up. He kept lapping at the slit, letting the bitter, salty taste spread over his tongue. His own cock throbbed, painfully hard between his legs, and he couldn’t help but take the head into his mouth, even giving Charles one good squeeze at the base of his cock to help take the edge off. _Missed this so much_.

And he had. His thoughts fractured, not making it all the way into cohesive speech, blurring out into images and memory. He loved going down on Charles if only because of how completely Charles fell apart when he did. He loved bringing him to that point of incoherence, working him until he was grasping at the sheets or Erik’s shoulders and thrusting up into Erik’s mouth helplessly. It was horribly tempting to do just that but Erik had a promise to keep, so he only indulged himself for a short while. He did make sure to push the idea at Charles anyway, earning him another long, drawn-out moan.

Moving past his initial teasing, he took Charles further down his throat, keeping a firm grip on the base of his cock both to hold him steady and to discourage him from coming too quickly. He kept working at the head with his tongue, running it over the ridge and pressing it into the slit, mindlessly bobbing his head. The movements were instinctive enough that he didn’t feel as though he needed to focus too closely on anything other than keeping his teeth out of the way which left him time to catalogue Charles’s reactions instead. He could feel the other man arching up into him, could feel the strain of his muscles as he fought to keep his hips still, could feel his pulse faintly, the way it had picked up. His breathing had gotten quicker as well: he was taking short little breaths, almost panting, reaching down further to drag his nails up Erik’s back into his shoulder, just holding on.

Charles’s presence in his mind had gotten stronger per usual as well. It was warm, heady with arousal and encouragement to keep going, bright and pleased, always backed by a constant stream of jumbled thoughts that equated to Charles asking for _more please, yes there, keep going, oh Erik, Erik please_ , repeating like a mantra. Erik groaned, overwhelmed by it after some time having gone without, using his free hand to reach down and pull at his own cock, aching for _some_ kind of relief.

He was forced to pull back after not enough time at all, pressing one last sloppy kiss to the head of Charles’s erection before he went, releasing his own arousal while he was at it, moving his hand to Charles’s ass instead, getting his hand on a cheek and pulling it to the side to show off his hole.

“Fuck,” Charles swore, freeing one of his hands to start fumbling at the side table drawer. Erik left him to it and nosed down further, rubbing his lips along Charles’s perineum. He could feel Charles straining to reach underneath him, mostly because Erik had wrapped his arms around Charles’s thighs to keep his knees up over his shoulders and so he didn’t sustain any injuries in the midst of going down on him. It’d been known to happen before. “You’re not being very helpful,” Charles grumbled. “I _ought_ to kick you just for that. Lovely as your tongue i- _is_ —” Erik saw that as his cue to run the flat of his tongue up over the puckered skin of Charles’s entrance, back up to where his balls were already pulled in tight against his body in a long stripe. “—it’s not a substitute for lubrication.”

Erik only hummed, taking the weight of Charles’s sac into his mouth and sucking enough to make Charles collapse back onto the mattress, dropping his arm and clutching at the side of the bed. When Erik looked he could see the way Charles’s mouth had fallen open, lips curling around a silent syllable. He looked so completely blissed out, so fucking gorgeous, splayed out like this just for him.

Erik groaned, hitching Charles’s legs up higher to give himself better access to start eating out his husband with purpose. Charles all but sobbed, quest for lube momentarily forgotten. The sounds he was making were becoming almost constant, and _fuck_ if Erik didn’t love how vocal he was. It wasn’t too surprising considering his tendency toward talkativeness outside of bed, but Erik enjoyed it nonetheless. He licked over Charles’s hole, squeezing at his thighs and feeling nails dig back into his shoulders.

Charles’s jumbled thoughts began to coalesce back into something more fully comprehensible suddenly when Erik started mouth at him, daring to run his teeth over the rim occasionally. _Can’t wait to do this to you tomorrow_ , he was thinking _, can’t wait to make you moan for it, I know how sensitive you get when I rim you, all the better to finger you open after, fuck you slow, make you feel it_.

Erik squeezed his eyes shut, blindsided by the bolt of heat that sliced through him, making the muscles in his abdomen coil tighter, and bit back a groan. He didn’t see how that was fair at all, but there was something insanely arousing about Charles fantasizing about pleasuring Erik even while in the midst of being touched himself. The part of him that was still slightly disappointed at having to wait for that was protesting, but it was easy to push aside.

He pressed the tip of his tongue inside of Charles in an attempt to gain back some ground, but decided soon after that he didn’t have the willpower to wait much longer. Erik pulled back, rubbing at the slick rim of his hole, pressing just the tip of his thumb in and tugging. Charles made a shattered noise, and his train of thought dissolved back into formless heat and lust and want. He pushed up against Erik’s finger instinctively, trying to work it in deeper. _Finally, more, more, Erik,_ more.

Erik fumbled to pull his hand back, deciding that lube would probably be a good idea after all. He set about pulling the drawer open by the metal of its handle and just levitating the tin over to him already, but it was difficult since it actually required him to focus. He noticed that the lamp was rattling slightly in the background and sought to reign in his powers, taking in a deep breath through his nose. That didn’t help much realistically since all he could smell was sweat and sex and Charles, but he succeeded in getting the damn thing over to him nonetheless, snatching it out of the air when it got close enough.

When he looked back down he noticed that Charles appeared to be wiggling his ass at him, pushing up toward him with his hips. He’d let Charles take his legs down so they were splayed around his waist instead of propped up for the time being, but he hadn’t taken the opportunity to cover up at all. He glanced up, shooting Charles an amused sort of look. Charles smirked down at him. “Like what you see?”

Erik leaned back up to kiss him, reclaim his mouth, show him just how much he did without having to verbally acknowledge the ridiculous comment. Charles’s mouth was hot and wet, and the kiss turned sloppy without either of them meaning for it to. Erik slid one of his hands back down to pump roughly at Charles’s erection, earning himself another whine, before he moved back down to prod at his hole.

“This is what you want, isn’t it?” he asked, voice low and rough. He pressed his face into the space underneath Charles’s jaw, speaking into the sticky heat of the skin there. “Want me inside of you?” He pushed three of his fingers together and pressed them up against Charles’s entrance, not breaching it, but keeping pressure there, a promise of things to come.

Charles’s breathing stuttered and he rubbed up against Erik’s hand shamelessly. “Yes, Erik, want it _now_ , please, please—”

Charles kept repeating himself and Erik was through waiting around. He bit hard at the skin under his mouth, marking it to come back to later before he went for the lube, fumbling it open and slicking his fingers. A couple of seconds later and he’d replaced his hand, pressing two fingers right up against Charles, rubbing, beginning to ease them in. He kept his other hand on Charles’s thigh, pressing it to the side to keep him open, not that he really needed it. Charles was completely limp, slumped boneless into the mattress, the only kinetic part of him being one of his hands which he’d brought down to tug at his own erection, making those little noises in the back of his throat he made when he was desperate like this. Because of that, Erik’s fingers slipped in incredibly easily, sliding into the tight heat of Charles’s body as if he’d already opened him up. Charles groaned out a long, low _yes_ when they did and immediately started working his hips, fucking himself on Erik’s fingers frantically, getting whatever he could from the shallow penetration.

Fuck, he was eager. Maybe Erik had pushed them just a bit too far, but there was nothing to be done about it now but get to work. He pushed his fingers all the way in, working the lubrication in and starting up a proper rhythm with his hand. Charles took it so fucking well, always relaxing and opening up with little to no effort to the point where Erik was a little jealous sometimes. At the moment, however, he was just grateful and impressed, always impressed with Charles. At a nudge from Charles’s mind he sped up his thrusts, pushing rough and quick into the soft grip of Charles’s body. He rubbed the pads of his fingers along his walls, curling and stretching, going back for more lube and adding a third finger sooner rather than later.

Charles cried out when Erik found and consequently began pressing on his prostate. Erik could see Charles snap a hand down to strangle his balls into submission beyond where he was watching his fingers slide in and out. Even with the successful denial of Charles’s orgasm, the bright flash of pleasure that lit up his mind consequently was all but overwhelming. Erik groaned, and the sound seemed broken even to him, and rutted against the sheets beneath him.

Everything was blurring together, all the thoughts in his mind melting into a singular desire to finally _have_ Charles already, have all of him, fuck him speechless. _Yes, Erik please_ , Charles responded to the desire almost immediately, _please fuck me, fuck me, I can’t take it any longer, I need you in me_ now _._

Erik grit his teeth, pressing back against Charles some, trying to calm him a little because he was _painfully_ close and if Charles kept that up he had a feeling he’d find himself with prematurely sticky sheets and a livid, horny, dissatisfied husband, neither of which he was a fan of. He focused on fucking Charles hard with his fingers, quick, rough thrusts, slipping in his pinky and pushing in to the point where the broad of his hand got stuck and forced him to pull back. That at least made it so Charles couldn’t project anything beyond general, blinding arousal toward him for a few seconds. It gave him enough leeway to ease his hand out and reach for the lube a final time to slick himself up.

He sat back and drank in the sight of Charles again in the meantime, projecting the image directly at his partner so he could see how he looked, worked open, cock painfully hard and red between his legs, begging wordlessly to be filled again. Charles made another noise that sounded more like a sob than anything else and thrust up at Erik.

“Erik,” he groaned, voice beyond rough. It was a plea and a demand in one and Erik gave in to it automatically, lining up and pushing into Charles at last, the motion efficient, simple, and practiced compared to everything else before it.

Charles took him almost as well as he’d taken his fingers, clutching tight and hot around him. Erik couldn’t help the noise that came deep from his chest in response. It was one of relief at _finally_ being where he’d wanted to be for _weeks_. He pressed forward until he was flush up against Charles when he leaned down close to the other man, setting his forehead down against his chest and allowing them to feel it for a few long moments, feel how deep he was, feel Charles’s cock so hard against his stomach, feel Charles’s body clenching around him instinctively. He moved then so he could press a soft kiss to Charles’s chest, working to catch his breath. “So perfect,” he muttered, unable to help himself. Never in his life did he think he’d be able to have something like this, to have _someone_ like Charles who let himself be so vulnerable for Erik, who let Erik have him so entirely again and again, who waited around for him to come home just so he could. “Love you so much, _Schatz_ , missed you so much, my lovely…”

Charles made a soft sweet noise, wrapping his arms around Erik tightly, and took a shaky little breath. “Erik…” There were hands scrabbling against his back, urging him up, so he attempted to swallow around the lump in his throat, wrangle the pressure in his chest back into something bearable, and looked up to find Charles just smiling at him. Erik noticed his vision going a bit blurry and well, so much for keeping it under control. Charles didn’t comment on it, only brought his hands down to cup Erik’s face and pull him up into another kiss. _Love you too, missed you, Erik, darling, move, please move, want it, waited so long_ slipped into his mind in the meantime and he took the hint, easing out of Charles and pushing back in, slow and deep and steady.

Charles moaned into his mouth and Erik swallowed the sound, moving to do it again, yearning for the friction it brought, unable to keep still any longer. Charles rocked with him, taking what Erik was giving him and reciprocating. Erik broke their kiss to find the spot he’d marked out before, sinking his teeth in again and sucking at the skin. Charles keened but didn’t try to make him stop. Erik began to tilt his hips in reward, seeking the right angle out that would make Charles moan louder for him, shudder in his arms.

He found it and Charles did just that, clutching at him tighter and squeezing his legs tight around Erik’s waist, pressing his heels in right above his ass, urging him forward again. Erik complied, giving in completely where he’d been holding back all night before, hitting his prostate again and again. Charles’s thoughts were jumbled completely and his pleasure which was seeping continuously into Erik’s mind was all but suffocating. Erik licked and sucked at the mark he’d made, running his hands back down the length of Charles’s body to push up under his legs, tilting his hips to try and get in deeper.

Erik wanted to stay just like this forever, with Charles surrounding him, safe underneath him, wrapped around each other, intertwined to the point where he could no longer distinguish whose thoughts were whose, connected mind and body. It had scared him at first, to have his consciousness, his being practically subsumed, but over time he’d found that there wasn’t a time he felt more safe or more loved than when he was with Charles like this, and maybe that was what had frightened him in the first place. He’d learned to stop worrying about it so much in any case and enjoy it instead, take advantage of this time and space where he could lose himself, forget everything, and just be.

Erik did his best to keep his thrusts steady, but it was becoming apparent that neither of them were going to last as long as he might have liked. _Want to keep you here, just like this always, hold you here, stay inside you_ , he thought toward Charles who nodded frantically, sending back a small burst of approval. The movements of his hips had started to stutter, speeding up and trying to entice Erik into moving faster. Erik couldn’t find it in himself to resist, so he sped up along with him, fucking in harder and faster and moving one of his hands down to wrap it around Charles’s cock. That made Charles jolt and his movements falter, seeming caught between pushing down onto Erik’s cock or up into his hand before he settled into a rocking motion that allowed him to do both.

Erik tightened his grip and began to work seriously to bring Charles off. He could feel how close he was, riding that white hot line of pleasure, so close to falling over. He ground his thumb into the slit of his cock and rocked up hard into Charles, sacrificing an even pace for frantic, purposeful speed. Charles’s cries were mixing with the stretched out syllables of his name, one hardly distinguishable from the next and he was tugging on Erik’s hair again.

He came, hard and abrupt, shooting off into Erik’s hand and over his stomach when Erik dropped his free hand down to start tugging at his rim again, working a thumb in alongside his cock, shaking and gasping. His ecstasy was like a firecracker in Erik’s mind and he was powerless to do anything else but catch the sparks and let himself go as well, shoving hard up into Charles one last time with a low groan, pressing in deep and staying there, letting the waves of his orgasm finally douse the heat inside of him. He did his best to keep working Charles through it until he felt a hand come down to pull his own back and away. Vaguely he felt the pressure of where Charles had been squeezing him with his legs relent, felt the other man still and begin working to catch his breath. The hands in his hair, rubbing at his scalp, helped to bring him back down, pulled him up until his lips caught against Charles’s again from where they’d been pressed up against his neck for some time.

Charles kissed him carefully, and Erik did his best to respond, still feeling not completely in control of his limbs or body. He _could_ feel Charles easing back out of his mind slightly and protested, not liking the loss even if he knew Charles was only trying to help. He stopped as soon as he did, settling back so Erik could feel his presence still, warm and sated and not going anywhere. That helped somewhat and he let himself collapse more fully on top of Charles, trying to scoop up the melted mess that was his mind and reshape it into something that might be capable of producing an intelligent thought. Charles seemed a little better off, pulling back to murmur sweet little nothings against Erik’s mouth, combing his fingers through his hair and off down his back, rubbing at his shoulders.

He rolled his shoulders, pressing back against the touch, trying to keep Charles’s hands on him. He touched the various sorts of metal around their room with his mind to help him refocus, brushing the doorknob, the zipper on his discarded trousers, the tin of lube that had been unfortunately knocked to the floor in the midst of their lovemaking—he wasn’t looking forward to cleaning that up; they really needed to be more careful about that specifically because he’d about had it with wasting perfectly good lube—the lamp that had been toppled over but appeared to be in one piece, and finally back to the small percentage of metal pumping through Charles’s veins.

“Erik,” Charles was calling, quiet but demanding enough to get him to move. He opened his eyes back up to find his husband cocking an eyebrow at him even in spite of his smile. “Alright then?”

“Yes.” Erik nuzzled up against Charles’s cheek again, kissing next to his ear. “Perfect.” The flush was fading from his skin and the color was back in his eyes, the blue saturated with sleepy satisfaction. He watched Erik, sweeping his eyes over him, not moving to try and get him off at all, and Erik leaned to kiss him again, deep and slow.

Charles pulled away and sighed, pressing another kiss to the side of Erik’s mouth. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

Erik huffed and Charles did begin to shift, squirming underneath him. He could feel the slight discomfort Charles was feeling and took pity on him, even if he really had no desire to move, pushing himself up and pulling out of him slowly. Charles hissed but offered Erik a grateful smile afterward. Erik rolled, flopping to the side off of him so Charles could have all his limbs back. Once freed, Charles stretched out long beside him, flexing his toes and arching his back, looking like a cat basking in sunlight. When he was done, Erik curled an arm back around him, wanting to keep touching him in some capacity at all times, at least for a while, and pressed a kiss up against his temple. Charles’s breathing caught at the small gesture. He was sensitive there from the years of focusing his powers that way and Erik knew it.

It at least spurred Charles to turn onto his side as well, facing Erik and tossing one of his legs up over his waist, curling in against him. Erik gathered him up against his chest and Charles went willingly, or at least went slack in arms and let himself be dragged. Charles’s mind was amused so Erik knew he was doing it on purpose. “Get over here,” he grumbled, manhandling his husband into a more comfortable position. “I’m not done with you yet.”

Charles chuckled, curling his arms around Erik’s neck and pressing his face under his jaw. “You’d better be unless you want me to fall asleep on top of you.”

Erik ran a hand down Charles’s side, over the curve of his ass and pressed his fingers back up against his hole, rubbing at the slick skin and knowing how easy it would be to push them back in. Charles whined and tugged at his arm, probably still oversensitive. Erik pulled his fingers back, but kept his hand in place, giving his ass a quick squeeze mostly because he could, grinning for Charles’s benefit. Realistically he knew that they were both too tired to do anything else that night—the passing years hadn’t helped with that any—and he was looking forward to collapsing with Charles in his arms anyway.

“You think that’s where that goes, do you?” Charles asked, referencing Erik’s hand, and giving him one of what Erik called his “professor looks” which he usually wore when telling off a student.

Erik groped at his ass again, rubbing at the soft skin with the pads of his fingers and tucking his chin back on top of Charles’s head. “Yes.”

Charles scoffed at him, but didn’t protest seriously otherwise. “Back less than five hours and already thinks he owns the place…” he muttered.

Erik laughed fully at the comment and slid his hand back up to more neutral territory, rubbing at Charles’s lower back. “I clearly didn’t do a very good job of fucking you senseless if something like that’s bothering you.”

Erik felt one of Charles’s hands move down along his back, over the curve of his own ass to return the favor which Erik didn’t mind at all. “Oh, no I think you did a fine job of that. But I’m allowed to be grumpy for at least another 24 hours, seeing how you left me all alone for so long.”

“Phase two of your brilliant plan to keep me from going on corporate-mandated business trips?”

Charles slapped at his hip lightly in retaliation. “Yes, actually. First the blankets, then being a grouch as soon as you come home. That’s sure to keep you around.” Erik felt teeth scoring along the line of his collarbone, but he was too caught up in the amused warmth between them to care. “I’d probably be in a better mood if I wasn’t so sticky.”

He said it off-hand, but Erik knew it was a clear suggestion. He really had no desire or energy to move, but the faster they cleaned up, the sooner they could go to bed. So, he took a few more seconds to pepper Charles’s face with kisses again and pull the self-satisfied smile off his mouth before he clambered out of bed.

Erik kept his trip short. It mostly consisted of taking a quick trip to the toilet and then wetting a washcloth to bring back with him. Charles spoke to him quietly from across the room as he went about it, attempting to inquire about his travels. He answered briefly, but deflected the majority of the conversation for the time being. He didn’t want to think about work at the moment and much as he could appreciate Charles’s genuine interest, the questions would keep. Charles seemed to accept that and fell quiet with a long yawn, shuffling around on the bed somewhat as he awaited Erik’s imminent return.

On the way back Erik rescued the lube from where it had landed on the floor. It hadn’t made too much of a mess luckily, but the lid hadn’t been completely on. Part of him wanted to clean it up and get it over with, but he forced himself to leave it, setting it back on the side table drawer and righting the lamp there while he was at it.

Charles had sat up in the interim and was waiting with his legs dangling over the side of the bed, leaning back on his hands and tracking Erik’s movements with his eyes. When Erik met his gaze his lips curled up into a soft, sincere smile. “I missed you.”

Whatever space in Erik’s chest that felt empty when he was away felt tight and warm now, as if knit back together, and part of him wanted to push Charles back onto the bed and kiss him senseless, but he could feel the other man’s exhaustion in his mind like lingering smoke. Instead, he got down on his knees in front of Charles, nudging his legs apart so he could run the cloth along the inside of his thighs, up over the curve of his stomach, and then back down, dabbing more gently at his entrance. The warmth radiating from Charles into his mind grew stronger as he went about his ministrations, following the path he made with his cloth with a trail of soft kisses up against his clean skin in a silent response to the sentiment.

He did run his tongue up over Charles’s hole and his softened cock once, but didn’t push beyond that, trailing back down along his legs with his mouth when he was finished, giving himself a cursory wipe-down before setting the cloth aside. Charles let him have his way for a decent stretch of time, let him nose along his skin, nip and kiss and rub. Erik thought it felt a bit worshipful and well, that was about right.

Eventually however, Charles shifted and Erik could feel his hands cupping his face again, urging him to tilt his head up and back. When he capitulated, he found Charles was looking at him again, only looking, quiet and searching. He ran his thumbs along Erik’s cheekbones, then down over his bottom lip. Erik held still, let himself be observed, looking right back.

“How’d I get so lucky?” Charles asked suddenly, even though Erik was pretty sure that was his line.

Erik didn’t feel like picking apart the mess of feelings that rose up in his chest in response so he took the easy way out by taking Charles’s left hand, kissing where his ring would normally be—currently it was on the bathroom counter, safe from sharing their bedside lamp’s fate of becoming collateral damage in the midst of their enthusiastic reunion—before moving to push Charles back down onto the bed after all, kissing him and kissing him. Charles went easily and smiled into the kiss, looping his arms around Erik’s back.

They managed to maneuver back to the middle of the bed soon afterward, positioned to go to sleep properly at last. Erik pulled the covers back over to them—and if some (or most) of the extra blankets got knocked to the floor when he did, well, there was only so much he could do—and flicked the light across the room back off, casting the room into shadow. It didn’t matter much, since he was still close enough to Charles to see him without it.

Charles hummed, curling obligingly up against Erik’s chest, seeming content to let Erik trap him in a tight embrace and throw a leg over his hip. He nuzzled up under Erik’s neck, kissing at his jaw. Erik felt him settle in, letting the bed take his weight, but his body was still a warm, solid, reassuring presence next to him and Erik pressed up against him shamelessly.

Charles chuckled. “What did I say earlier about suffocating me?”

“Can’t help it,” Erik muttered back, relaxing himself, letting his guard slide down in a way he hadn’t for the weeks he’d been gone. “If you’re going to be the grumpy one, that means I have to be the clingy one.”

Charles didn’t respond, but his thoughts made it clear that he wasn’t so sure about that, even if he seemed a little happy beneath the front. He leaned up to press one last kiss to Erik’s lips, short and sweet, before stilling, seemingly for good. Erik let his eyes slip closed, content for the time being to have Charles back next to him and the prospect of a full day together tomorrow.

“I’m glad you’re home,” Charles murmured.

“I feel like you’re starting to repeat yourself,” Erik replied, even in spite of the anxious warmth that always bloomed in his chest at that sort of statement.

“Only because I feel like you don’t really believe me half the time.”

Erik knew Charles’s words were rooted somewhat in reality, but it was too late to talk about that. “If I tell you I do, will you go to sleep?”

Charles huffed and squirmed a bit in his grip. Erik held on tighter in retaliation. “Fine, but be prepared to really hear it tomorrow.”

“Is that phase three?”

It took Charles’s sleepy mind a moment to work out what Erik was talking about but when he did there was a wave of amusement in response to the continuation of the joke. “No. Actually telling you how much I love you? That’s far too obvious. That’s just a decoy phase and you’re falling right into my trap,  I can tell.”

Erik rolled his eyes and kissed the top of Charles’s head. _We’ll see,_ he thought. “Goodnight, Charles,” he said.

Charles huffed lightly but his mind quieted back to a tired sort of hum. Erik could feel his breathing slowing. “Goodnight, Erik. Love you…”

Charles, ever the champion of passing out at almost comical speed, was out like a light before Erik could say it back. Erik shook his head, but closed his eyes as well. He wasn’t always one for restful nights, but with Charles’s steady breathing beside him and the feeling of his mind still seeping unconsciously into Erik’s, Erik found he had no trouble falling into a deep, easy sleep. He never looked forward to going away, but leaving, he sometimes thought, could almost be worth it if only for the anticipation of soon returning home.


End file.
